Twenty-six years ago, my parents took the ferry to France and made their way down to St Jean de Monts, with four of us rattling around in the back-seat. The roof-rack that held our suitcases was covered in water-proof tarpaulin, secured with rope. My parents found their way by following a big, unwieldy map; cracked in ...
Category: Holidays & Travel
Mr. Pilkington breaks a heart
All the talk after the first kids' club visit was about Darragh-from-Dublin. Or Mr. Pilkington as he was known by those in the know. Emmie had gone on her own for this first visit, but her enthusiastic stories of painting and treasure hunts and Darragh-from-Dublin were enough to convince Clara to join her the next ...
5 things I haven’t learned at all about holidaying with kids
Every year, bright-eyed and innocent, I look forward to going away on holidays - to reading and relaxing and resting, and to getting lots of sleep and sun. And every year, I am yet again taken by surprise to find that the holiday isn’t quite the chilled out, easygoing, restful experience I expected. Here’s what ...
Holidays with a dash of toddler
Holidaying with a toddler is kind of a contradiction in terms – if you expect, that is, for a holiday to be a relaxing affair. If you like high-octane adventure holidays, where you come home exhausted after two weeks of running, climbing and water-based-activities, then of course, holidaying with a toddler could be right up ...
The swimsuit edition
So, inspired by a recent Huff Post Parenting article called "Moms, put on that swimsuit!", I've decided to show solidarity; I'm sharing some photos of myself at the pool. I'm kidding. Of course I'm not going to do that. I'm not insane. Like the mum who wrote the article, I spent every sunny day of the ...
Sea change
“Thinking of taking the ferry to France?” I said. “Here are some tips!” I said, like a girl who knows a thing or two about driving to France. Then this year happened. It started out really well – too well really. We were more organised than ever, and managed to leave the house earlier than planned. ...
Out of the office (by the skin of my teeth)
Somewhere down the lazy river
From sandals to boots overnight - summer is a goner. And we're all fine with that; as a nation we've agreed that we can't complain, because the summer was just so good this year (by nation I mean three real-life conversations plus the general consensus on Twitter)I'm thinking back on the highlights of my summer, and was ...
tips for taking the ferry to France
The ferry never changes. The familiar smell of exhausts as engines are switched off and families squeeze between rows of roof-box-topped cars to reach the entry doors. The staff with genuine smiles waiting to greet us and help tiny children clamber up the steep steps. The sense of relief when we emerge on the fifth floor and spill ...